Winston S. Churchill - My Early Life And My African Journey, Collected
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:29197126 | Year Printed: 1976 |
| Publisher: Library of Imperial History | Binding: Hardcover |
| Place of Publication: London | Author: Winston S. Churchill |
My Early Life and My African Journey Winston S. Churchill London: Library of Imperial History, 1976
Subscribers' Proof Copy
Condition: Near Fine
This volume from The Collected Works of Sir Winston Churchill is a “Subscribers’ Proof Copy” of the first volume, reproducing the full text of My Early Life (originally published 1930) and My African Journey (originally published 1908). For this volume..., My Early Life was photo-reproduced from the first edition and My African Journey was reset from the first edition.
Produced in limited numbers in 1974, The Collected Works was a lavish production. The volumes were bound in natural calfskin vellum with 22 ct. gold titling, the Churchill coat-of-arms in gilt on the front cover, gilt page edges, and marbled endpapers. Moreover, the contents were printed on special 500-year archival paper and each volume was accompanied by a dark green leather-covered slipcase stamped with the Churchill arms.
The half title of this particular volume bears an ink stamp stating: "SUBSCRIBERS PROOF COPY" issued to “N. H. Buckley Esq.” who commissioned set “205”. Affixed to the front free endpaper is a lengthy printed sheet stating that this volume "is issued to registered subscribers only as an uncorrected proof copy for examination" and "remains the property of the Library of Imperial History."
The calfskin vellum was meant to tone and mellow with age. Here the vellum binding is square and tight with virtually no wear and only mildly toned. The contents are immaculate – crisp and bright. The only sign that this volume has been handled is some inevitable creasing to the green satin ribbon marker. The original green leather slipcase is present and has admirably done its job protecting the contents and boards of its volume, suffering only mild shelf wear to extremities in the process.
My Early Life covers the years from Churchill’s birth in 1874 to his first few years in Parliament. One can hardly ask for more adventurous content. These were momentous and formative years for Churchill, including his time as a war correspondent and cavalry officer in theatres as varied as Cuba, northwest India, and sub-Saharan and southern Africa. Not only was Churchill developing as an author, publishing his first books, and making his first lecture tour of North America, but this was also the time of his capture and daring escape during the Boer War, which made him a celebrity and helped launch his political career. My Early Life remains one of the most popular and widely read of all Churchill's books. An original 1930 review likened it to a "beaker of Champagne." That effervescent charm endures. To be sure, Churchill takes some liberties with facts and perhaps unduly lightens or over-simplifies certain events, but this is eminently forgivable and in keeping with the wit, pace, and engaging style that characterizes the book.
My African Journey is Churchill's travelogue on Britain's possessions in East Africa, written while he was serving as Undersecretary of State for the Colonies. In the summer of 1907 Churchill left England for five months, making his way after working stops in southern Europe to Africa for "a tour of the east African domains." Churchill enjoyed a proper 19th Century bwana experience, traveling by special train provided by the Uganda Railway, receiving tribute from various chiefs, and shooting all manner of things. Happily, there are more insightful and enduringly interesting experiences recounted in the book than just a catalogue of culled fauna. My African Journey is notable, among other things, for being the only one of Churchill’s many books to contain photographs apparently taken by the author. While this edition omits the original plates, it compensates by including 4 leaves of plates that were not in the first edition, including two photographs of Churchill not published elsewhere.
Reference: Cohen AA1.1
Ref #: 006226
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